This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/473,275, filed Dec. 28, 1999, corresponding to Japanese Patent Application No. 10-373649, filed on Dec. 28, 1998, and the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/473,298, filed Dec. 28, 1999, corresponding to Japanese Patent Application No. 10-373650, filed on Dec. 28, 1998, and the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/473,277, filed Dec. 28, 1999, corresponding to Japanese Patent Application No. 10-373651, filed on Dec. 28, 1998, and the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a delivery schedule management method of managing delivery schedule in case where digital data to be distributed are delivered, to an apparatus for implementing the method, to a processing program thereof, and to a medium having the processing program recorded therein. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique that is effectively applied to a delivery schedule management method and apparatus in which electronic books are previously stored in electronic book sales terminal connected through a network in an electronic data distribution system which connects a delivery data server for inputting delivery data, a digitization server for digitizing the delivery data, a storage and management server for storing and managing electronic delivery data, a delivery management server for managing the delivery of the electronic delivery data, and an electronic user terminal for receiving the delivered electronic data and treating the received electronic data to one another through the network, to a processing program thereof, and to a medium recording the processing program.
Recently, the digitization of information to be distributed is widely spread. The information to be distributed is named digital contents such as book data, music data, game programs and data for databases. As a delivery system of such digital contents, there is a xe2x80x9cDigital Delivery Systemxe2x80x9d disclosed in JP-A-9-204378, for example. The xe2x80x9cDigital Delivery Systemxe2x80x9d is a system in which digital titles (digital contents) are delivered from a central management apparatus to terminals. In order to deliver the digital titles exactly, promptly and inexpensively in accordance with user""s taste, the digital titles are previously delivered from the central management apparatus to the terminals. At this time, the previously delivered digital titles are to be determined by a program in the central management apparatus in accordance with marketing information provided to the central management apparatus from the terminals, and mainly include digital titles having high frequency in use.
Further, JP-A-8-272859 discloses a xe2x80x9cStock Price Data Transmission Systemxe2x80x9d. The xe2x80x9cStock Price Data Transmission Systemxe2x80x9d transmits real stock price data and past stock price data for only stocks having prices not fluctuated sharply, of restricted past stock price data with respect to transmission of past stock price data used for recovery, so that an amount of data transmitted through a network can be reduced. In this case, the reason why the stock price data fluctuated sharply is not transmitted is that even if transmission of the stock price data fluctuated sharply is interrupted to some extent, next stock price data thereof is produced in a moment and accordingly this next stock price data may be transmitted as the real stock price data.
There is a problem that the conventional data delivery method can be applied only to certain specific objects to be delivered (digital contents).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a delivery schedule management method and apparatus for managing delivery schedule of digital contents.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of improving delivery efficiency and utilization efficiency of digital contents.
It is further another object of the present invention to provide a delivery schedule method and apparatus for managing delivery schedule in case where an electronic book previously stored in an electronic book sales terminal connected through a network are delivered.
The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
The representative inventions of the present invention disclosed in this application are now described in brief.
(1) A delivery schedule management method of managing delivery schedule of delivery data in an electronic data distribution system which connects a delivery data server for inputting the delivery data, a digitization server for digitizing the delivery data, a storage and management server for storing and managing electronic delivery data, a delivery management server for managing delivery of the electronic delivery data, and an electronic user terminal for receiving delivered electronic data and treating received electronic data to one another through a network.
(a) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of:
setting an evaluation value of the delivery data to be digitized, in the delivery data server;
digitizing the delivery data and the evaluation value, and registering the digitized delivery data and the digitized evaluation value in the storage and management server, in the digitization server;
performing a processing of electronic utilization data selected by a user between the delivery management server and the electronic user terminal;
managing information of the processed electronic utilization data in the delivery management server;
producing an on-demand delivery request at a stage that the electronic user terminal acquires actual electronic data after processing the electronic utilization data, and transmitting the on-demand delivery request to the delivery management server, in the electronic user terminal;
performing management (scheduling) of the on-demand delivery request, transmitting the management (scheduling) of the on-demand delivery request to the storage and management server, acquiring relevant electronic data based on the management (scheduling) of the delivery request, and transmitting the relevant electronic data to the delivery management server, in the delivery management server which acquires the on-demand delivery request; and
delivering the relevant electronic data to the electronic user terminal from the delivery management server.
(b) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of:
performing disk management and a delivery request (production of a delivery request according to utilization tendency of delivery data) peculiar to the electronic user terminal, and transmitting information thereof to the delivery management server, in the electronic user terminal;
performing management (scheduling) of the delivery request, transmitting the management (scheduling) of the delivery request to the storage and management server, acquiring relevant electronic data based on the management (scheduling) of the delivery request from the storage and management server, and transmitting the relevant electronic data to the delivery management server, in the delivery management server which acquires the delivery request; and
delivering the relevant electronic data to the electronic user terminal from the delivery management server.
(c) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of:
setting an evaluation value of the delivery data to be digitized, in the delivery data server;
digitizing the delivery data and the evaluation value, and register the digitized delivery data and the digitized evaluation value in the storage and management server, determining and reading data to be previously delivered to the electronic user terminal, based on a delivery request of the electronic user terminal acquired through the delivery management server, delivery data treating information and the evaluation value of the delivery data from the digitization server, and transmitting the data to the delivery management server, in the digitization server; and
delivering the data to the electronic user terminal from the delivery management server.
(d) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of:
setting an evaluation value of the delivery data to be digitized, in the delivery data server;
determining and reading data to be previously delivered to the electronic user terminal, based on a delivery request of the electronic user terminal acquired through the delivery management server, delivery data treating information and the evaluation value of the delivery data from the digitization server, in the storage and management server; and
performing disk management and production of a delivery request according to utilization tendency of the delivery data of the electronic user terminal, in the electronic user terminal.
(2) A delivery schedule management apparatus for managing delivery schedule of delivery data in an electronic data distribution system which connects a delivery data server for inputting the delivery data, a digitization server for digitizing the delivery data, a storage and management server for storing and managing electronic delivery data, a delivery management server for managing delivery of the electronic delivery data, and an electronic user terminal for receiving delivered electronic data and treating received electronic data to one another through a network, wherein
the delivery data server comprises means for evaluating the delivery data;
the storage and management server comprises means for determining and reading information of electronic data to be delivered, based on the evaluation of the delivery data, object treating information and a delivery request, the object treating information and the delivery request being acquired through the delivery management server; and
the electronic user terminal comprises means for managing a disk peculiar to the electronic user terminal, and means for producing the delivery request in accordance with an electronic data treating tendency in the electronic user terminal.
(3) The storage and management server comprises:
a delivery data evaluation value table for managing an evaluation value of the delivery data by the delivery data server;
a ranking information management table produced based on the delivery request and the delivery data treating information of the electronic user terminal from the delivery management server; and
a delivery request management table for managing the delivery requests from the delivery management server.
(4) A delivery schedule management method of managing delivery schedule of delivery data in an electronic book sales system which connects a publisher server for inputting delivery data of book, a digitization server for digitizing the delivery data of book, a storage and management server for performing storage and management of the digitized electronic data of book (electronic book) and sales information management in the whole system, a delivery management server for performing delivery management of the electronic book, a satellite delivery server for delivering the electronic book, and an electronic book sales terminal for selling the electronic book to one another through a network.
(a) The delivery schedule management method comprises a step of setting an evaluation value of a book to be digitized, in the publisher server.
(b) The delivery schedule management method comprises a step of performing disk management and production of a delivery request in accordance with a sales tendency of the electronic book in the electronic book sales terminal.
(c) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of:
previously determining and transmitting the electronic book to be delivered to the electronic book sales terminals, based on the delivery request and sales information of the electronic book sales terminal acquired through the delivery management server and the evaluation value of book from the publisher server; and
providing the electronic book satisfying user""s taste (request) promptly in the electronic book sales terminal.
(d) The delivery schedule management method comprises the steps of: in the publisher server,
setting an evaluation value of a book to be digitized;
performing disk management and production of a delivery request in accordance with a sales tendency of the electronic book in the electronic book sales terminal;
previously determining and transmitting the electronic book to be delivered to the electronic book sales terminal, based on the delivery request and sales information of the electronic book sales terminal acquired through the delivery management server and the evaluation value of the book from the publisher server; and
providing the electronic book satisfying user""s taste (request) promptly in the electronic book sales terminal.
(5) A delivery schedule management apparatus for managing delivery schedule of delivery data in an electronic book sales system which connects a publisher server for inputting delivery data of book, a digitization server for digitizing the delivery data of book, a storage and management server for performing storage and management of the digitized electronic data of book (electronic book) and sales information management in the whole system, a delivery management server for performing delivery management of the electronic book, a satellite delivery server for delivering the electronic book, and an electronic book sales terminal for selling the electronic book to one another through a network, comprising
means for setting an evaluation value of a book to be digitized in the publisher server;
means for performing disk management and production of a delivery request in accordance with a sales tendency of the electronic book in the electronic book sales terminal; and
means for previously reading the electronic book to be delivered to the electronic book sales terminals, based on the delivery request and sales information of the electronic book sales terminal acquired through the delivery management server, and the evaluation value of the book from the digitization server.
The storage and management server comprises:
a recommended book guidance table for managing the evaluation value of the electronic book by the digitization server;
a ranking information management table produced from the sales information from the delivery management server; and
a delivery request table for managing the delivery request from the delivery management server.